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Guest post by Lucy Wyndham
In the past, work was something that could usually only be done in a certain defined location, such as a factory or an office. But with almost four million Americans now believed to be remote workers at least some of the time, it’s clear that this is changing. Now, it’s possible to pick up work wherever you are and complete it from a sometimes distant location, without hurting company bottom lines or becoming unproductive. This article will explore the exciting new world of work – and how technology is powering it forwards.
Video conferencing
The need to speak to your colleagues on a regular basis has not, of course, gone away. It’s still essential to do this as much as you can in order to share ideas, catch up on project timeframes, and more. But with affordable and seamless video calling software now available, it doesn’t have to happen in the same room – meaning employees can work where they are most productive while still checking in when needed. The devices required for a modern video conference call are more powerful and technically complex than ever before, so you can enjoy crisp images and near-perfect sound quality. But because the items – such as high-definition webcams or condenser microphones – can be expensive, protections like an anti-theft travel bag or gadget insurance is wise when working remotely.
Apps and software
Another way in which technology is transforming the world of work and making it more mobile in nature is through management apps. Systems such as enterprise content management services and cloud-based customer relationship management tools such as Zoho allow people to access company files and folders no matter where they are in the world – which makes it a lot easier to work remotely. Other apps, such as time management trackers, mean that employers may even get a better overview of employee performance than they would if they were sat right next to them in the office!
That’s not to say there are no downsides to this mode of working, of course. Storing all of your critical information on the Internet puts it at risk of hacks, for example. With over 22 million US data records believed to have been exposed as a result of hacks in the first half of 2018 alone, it’s a real problem. But with workplaces developing ever more robust defenses against problems like these, it’s likely that as time goes on the downsides of remote working will get lower – while the upsides will get higher.
Cultural changes
While content management systems, video conference calls and more are all very well, it’s only really through cultural shifts that the kind of remote working which is now widely accepted and tolerated can be maintained. After all, if company bosses didn’t want to let employees be remote workers, they would rescind the right! In recent years, there has been a marked shift towards increased trust of employees and a move away from the micromanagement practices which were born out of the Industrial Revolution. People enjoy more rights and freedoms than ever before, and this has certainly bled into the workplace – and is unlikely to go away as tech becomes more and more powerful. And with one Stanford study finding that employee attrition plummeted 50% among those who worked from home, it’s clear that tech’s role in the workplace has the power to benefit employers too.
Remote working, then, is clearly something that is here to stay. After all, the benefits are immense! From creating the conditions for additional productivity to ensuring that all employees are satisfied and working at their best, there are plenty of reasons to embrace this change both as an employer and as an employee.